Posted by admin on Jul 6, 2015
One of the times I see the greatest benefit of using Connect in my Marketing course is during the summer term. Today, many instructors across the country are starting their 4 or 5 week summer Principles of Marketing courses. As an instructor, one of the most intimidating things about these shortened classes is trying to get all of the information to students in about 35% of the time of a traditional semester course. Here are a few tips that might be helpful in your summer Principles of Marketing class when using the Hunt/Mello product: 1. Assign something from Connect each day. These short interactive or other assignments that are built into the Hunt/Mello Connect product help keep your students engaged each day of this shortened class. I have found this helps my students in both face-to-face and online classes not fall behind which can be a big problem in the summer term. 2. Assign Learnsmart for every chapter that you cover. Learnsmart provides an incredibly powerful adaptive tool that will help your students more quickly understand where they are struggling and focus their studies during the limited time of a summer course as efficiently as possible. 3.Consider utilizing the Tegrity feature in Connect to provide additional lecture content for students or assigning the Video overviews for each learning objective that are already into the Hunt/Mello Connect product. This provides the instructor a way to cover material they were not able to get to in class or provide additional content that can help Principles of Marketing students be more successful. I am very confident that utilizing Connect with the Hunt/Mello product can make your summer course more engaging and beneficial for your students in...
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Posted by admin on Jun 11, 2015
Whole Foods Market Inc., is opening a new line of stores focused on millennials, under the new name: 365 by Whole Foods Market. The idea is to create a chain that’s “fun and convenient,” the company’s new chief executive said in the statement. “A modern, streamlined design with innovative technology and a carefully curated product mix will offer an efficient and rewarding way to grocery shop.” Whole Foods is creating the chain to help reinvigorate sales and get back its pioneer image. With Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Kroger Co. pushing deeper into natural and organic food, Whole Foods has struggled with the perception that its groceries are too expensive and easily found elsewhere. The new store concept will have cheaper offerings. The company says it is embarking on the new store concept after reporting quarterly revenue and same-store sales that trailed analysts’ estimates. Other proposed names for the new stores also included Dailyshop and Swiftgoods. It will be interesting to see how this new market positioning strategy is perceived by consumers. Source: Craig Giammona and Leslie Patton. “Whole Foods’ New Millennial-Focused Chain Will Be Called 365” Bloomberg.com, June 11, 2015. Discussion Questions: 1. What do you think the results will be for Whole Foods using this new market positioning strategy? 2. Would you have chosen 365 for the name of the new Whole Foods stores or would you have chosen one of the other proposed...
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Posted by admin on May 15, 2015
Macy’s, one of the nation’s oldest retailers, is one of the leading marketing organizations when it comes to digital, social and mobile technology. The New York-based department store chain is using technology to connect with consumers on a local and national level. The strategy began with the My Macy’s program in 2009 which gave local executives more power following the rebranding of hundreds of department stores under the Macy’s name. The effort to think locally while maintaining a national brand, a challenge for many organizations across the world, pushed marketers at Macy’s to use technology to more effectively reach consumers. For example, during the Kentucky Derby, Macy’s used social media and geo-targeted emails and push notifications to encourage Kentucky-area shoppers to try the store’s collection of Derby hats. That messaging wasn’t used for the flagship Herald Square location in Manhattan. Social media reaches across all of Macy’s touchpoints. It’s used to offer everything from sneak peeks of new collections to promote sales. The brand’s latest social effort, called “American Icons,” kicks off this week. The program encourages fans to share photos of what America means to them for a chance to be included in the national broadcast of the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks. As mobile devices become more entwined in our daily lives, the department store chain is also expanding its mobile presence. The Macy’s app, which launched six years ago, has evolved into a personal shopping assistant. It helps shoppers navigate the store, find additional sizes, colors and related items. Macy’s has put its media muscle behind the app through national promotions including a contest that encouraged shoppers to download the app, and by putting it front and center during major shopping periods like the holiday season. Macy’s also has an app for its Thanksgiving Day Parade, which helps spectators find their way around the parade route and get behind-the-scenes news and information on the event. It will be interesting to see how other established retailers integrate social media as part of their overall marketing strategy. Source: Ashley Rodriguez. “Macy’s Embraces a Digical World” Advertising Age, May 13, 2015. Discussion Questions: 1.How can Macy’s social media marketing strategy add to the firm’s brand equity? 2.What metrics would you use to measure Macy’s success with their social media marketing...
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Posted by admin on Apr 29, 2015
Marketers for firms who sell chewing gum are facing a challenging task. U.S. sales of chewing gum have fallen 15 percent to $3.5 billion since 2009 and companies are looking for new product ideas to win over consumers. Hershey’s has high hopes for its new product Cool Blast Chews, which went on sale this month. Ice Breakers Cool Blast Chews, which dissolve in a burst of mint after about 10 chomps, straddle the market sweet spot between mints and gum. But competition is fierce, as startups and entrenched players alike rush out new flavors and packaging. Other creative marketing ideas include the Wrigley Co. effort to get some traction with an Orbit gum pack designed to fit snugly into a car cupholder. In an attempt to attract health-conscious consumers, the industry is selling all-natural varieties, including Glee Gum’s aspartame-free product in recyclable pouches. Trident created a limited-edition pumpkin spice gum and Wrigley marketed a “dessert delights” line that has included such flavors as Root Beer Float and Peach Cobbler. So far, the rush to re-invent gum hasn’t made much difference. Last year, Americans chewed gum 1.4 times a week on average, down 30 percent from 2009, according to NPD. Aging boomers are giving up the habit often because of concerns surrounding their dental work. Many millennials never developed a taste for gum, preferring more trendy savory snacks. Fewer Americans are smoking so there’s less demand for gum to cover tobacco breath. There’s one bright spot internationally: China, where gum sales almost doubled to $3 billion from 2009 to 2014 and are projected to grow an average of 6 percent through 2018, according to Euromonitor. But the food companies can’t lose focus on the U.S., where they still generate a substantial portion of revenue. In January, Wrigley released the first national Juicy Fruit television ads in 10 years. One features two young men in a locker room making rude noises with their armpits. The sophomoric humor is targeted towards teens and young adults, who are often considered the lifeblood of the industry. As consumer behavior changes, it is critical that chewing gum marketers find new ways to create, communicate and deliver value to their customers. Source: Craig Giammona, “Hershey wants to get Americans Chewing.” Bloomberg Businessweek, April 8, 2015. Discussion Questions: 1. What promotional strategies would you use to increase awareness and usage of chewing gum by younger consumers? 2. Which...
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Posted by admin on Apr 10, 2015
In biotech labs across the world, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and their suppliers are racing to find a soda that tastes as good as the iconic colas, is sweetened naturally, and has zero calories. Globally, colas account for more than half of all sodas sold. The challenge for the $187 billion soft drink industry is giving consumers in developed markets the sugary taste they want without giving them the mouthful of calories they don’t. Concerns about obesity and health have led to nine years of falling U.S. soda consumption. The soda giants can’t rely on existing diet versions of their namesake colas, as consumers are shying away from the artificial sweeteners they contain, including aspartame. Critics have blamed the ingredients—rightly or not—for everything from weight gain to cancer creating a marketing challenge for these organizations. Diet Coke is losing U.S. sales at 7 percent a year, almost double the rate of decline of American cola sales overall. So Coke and Pepsi are turning to science to save their cola businesses, which take in about two-thirds of the industry’s U.S. sales. Researchers are focusing on finding new products such as sweeteners for a simple reason: That’s where almost all of a soda’s calories come from. The classic American cola is 90 percent carbonated water; the next most plentiful ingredient is calorie-laden sugar or high fructose corn syrup. A 12-ounce serving has 140 calories or more, as much as three Oreo cookies. But soda makers must be careful when changing sweeteners, because they also help provide the liquid’s taste and the sensation on the tongue and in the back of the throat that consumers expect. Being able to position their products effectively as consumer behavior changes, will be one of the most important challenges cola marketers will face in the years ahead. Source: Duane Stanford. “Scientists Are Racing to Build a Better Diet Soda,” Bloomberg Businessweek, March 19, 2015. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/coke-pepsi-seek-diet-soda-s-perfect-sweetener Discussion Questions: 1. How do you think cola marketers should position their new diet drinks and sweetener products to appeal to consumers? 2. As consumer behavior evolves over the next decade, do you think it will be a more difficult challenge marketing traditional colas (Coke, Pepsi,etc.) or diet colas (Coke Zero, Diet Dr. Pepper,...
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